Why do we need to pray?

Why do we need to pray? This is usually the question often asked by non-believers or new born-again Christians. A prayer is a form of communication. It should not be viewed as a tool when we want to ask something from God. We can pray whenever we want and wherever we are. We do not need to be in front of an altar or light a candle before we can pray.

When we got born-again, we entered a relationship with God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. That’s it. They are a package. We cannot say I only want a relationship with God not with Jesus and not with the Holy Spirit. No! They are 1 in 3 and 3 in 1. So, when we accepted Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, we also accepted His Father and the Holy Spirit.

This relationship, like a human to human relationship, needs constant communication and again, a prayer is a form of communication. Just like husbands get in deep trouble when they don’t talk to their wives even just for a day! You might want to ask, but what will I tell God when I pray? Well, you can tell Him anything! Like how nervous you are in that job interview you are about to attend to. How happy you are for getting an A in Algebra. How you really wanted to have a puppy…etc.

Prayer does not require us to recite formal prayers. We don’t have to be formal in approaching and talking to God. Remember, God is our Father. In Galatians 4:6, it says,

“And because we are His children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”

Here, God is inviting us to see and treat Him as our Father, not just our God. When my earthly father was still alive, I don’t remember coming up to him and say, “oh, my dear father…” It would have been awkward for me to do that.

And just like our earthly fathers, God would be delighted if we come to Him, sit on His lap and just spend time with Him. And when He delights in us, Numbers 14:8 says He will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey.”

Our prayer can be as short as saying “thank You, Lord!” or long as you go and narrate to Him everything that has happened to you in the day. Just like what I said a while ago, you can pray or tell Him anything you want and be assured that He listens.